Thursday, July 20, 2006

Terrific Terrible Thursday

Lights Out!So yesterday I was working really hard on a post complete with pictures and everything, but Blogger wasn't cooperating and wouldn't upload my pictures, so I kept working on it all throughout the day in hopes that it would work.

And then the power went out.

And stayed out.

And it wasn't supposed to come back on until 3 AM. But it came back on at 11 PM. But then I was all tired and relaxed from doing nothing in the dark so I went to bed.

And when I got my computer working again this morning, the entry was lost.

So I'll have to start over. And I'll attempt to do it later today. OK? OK.

The ParkI took the kids to the park today. There's a standing agreement among the kindergarten class that every Thursday at 1:00 is park day. We haven't been for the past 5 weeks because of summer school. It was nice to see everyone again. The kids were having a great time until The Pink Princess fell out of the swing. Don't ask me how. Then things calmed down, and then The Purple Dragon fell out of the swing. Again, don't ask me how. The Dragon has a scraped elbow, and The Princess has two scraped knees. I'm sure they'll live.

There Just Ain't Pleasin' AnyoneThe Pink Princess was true to form today and on a roll. The conversation went something like this:

Princess: Alex is so lucky, his backyard goes all the way to the top of the mountain.Me: He is pretty lucky, it's lots of fun to climb the mountain.Princess: I wish my yard was like that.Me: Well your yard is nice too. After all, you can run through the spinklers, and kick balls, and play baseball, AND you have a swimming pool.Princess: Alex has a swimming pool. And an electric Lego train.Me: You have a dollhouse.Princess: Mooooo-oooom (two syllables), dollhouses are for girls.Me: Well, you do have a lot of nice toys. Alex has toys that you don't have, and you have toys that Alex doesn't have.Princess: Well, I wish our yard was bigger.Me: I think our yard is plenty big. It's bigger than a lot of other kids yards. And we have grass. Did you know that some of the kids in our neighborhood don't have grass in their yard?Princess: Well they're lucky. They get to play in the mud.

AAAAAAGH!

Rebate UpdateYou may recall that I sent in many many rebates at the end of June. Everything was supposed to take a minimum of 4 weeks (or longer), so I haven't been expecting anything to show up. But my portable DVD/CD/MP3 Player showed up today. Okay, I guess it's OURS. But it's here. I haven't opened the box yet, but I'm sure it'll be fun to play with. 1 rebate down, 5 to go.

Sara's Room:The Pink Princess loves her new room. It's very pink. My original goal was to spend about $100 on her room, but I broke the budget when we did the chair rail. I spent $30 on pink paint, $20 on the desk, $15 on the curtains, $10 on the canopy, $10 on the pink lamp, and about $25 on the pink mushroom chair, and I still need to buy a chair for the desk, but the chair rail was about $50 in and of itself. I had to buy white paint too, but that's being split among 2 or 3 or 5 (LOL!) other rooms... so that's only another $3-$5. I'm very satisfied with the results, even though I broke the budget, but the important part is that The Princess likes it.

The dresser is now pink. A friend of ours was throwing away this dresser back in Virginia and we quickly rescued it. They had painted it very bright red, blue and yellow. We quickly painted it white with light green and pastel yellow drawers. Now it's pink!

The Pink Princess and her dollhouse. One of the first things she wanted to set up in her room. She doesn't really "play" with it. She just likes to set it up.

The bed and her princess canopy.

Details of the chair rail. Yep, I painted it myself. It ain't perfect, but you can't really tell unless you get right up close to it in the room. It's a nice touch.

Monday, July 17, 2006

Hot As Hell

I took the kids bowling today. We went with a friend from The Pink Princess' school. The Other Family seemed to have a lot of fun. So did I. The Pink Princess was upset that she wasn't winning (she came in 3rd), and I had to bowl for The Purple Dragon because she said it was too loud. Boy Classmate was the winner. It really helps the kids to get high scores when they have bumpers and ramps to push the balls down.

Afterwards we got pizza for lunch. Way over priced in my opinion, but that's what everyone wanted to do and I didn't want to rock the boat. Anyway.

King Isepik apparently had a talk with the kids and explained that they still have to do what he says even when he is not at home. Therefore I was lectured many times today about what I can and cannot do because Daddy said so. Whatever.

King Isepik says I call his work to chew him out. But he couldn't think of any specific incidents. I have no doubt that our conversations have NOT been taken well on his part because he has hung up on me many times, but at least a few of the times were for some unknown reason -- he must have misinterpreted things because I certainly wasn't mad. I also called him back a couple of times and attempted to smooth things over because I was certain he had misunderstood... but apparently he thinks that I just call him to piss him off.

I have been upset with him because he hasn't been listening to me. I'm not talking about something along the lines of he's not "obeying" me -- I mean I have something to talk about (say, involving one of the kids), and he doesn't respond or seem to hear me. Other things are apparently more important. He called me on it today, meaning he asked why I was mad, and I told him. But he doesn't agree with my assessment even though I gave him a specific incident.

My Grandpa is worried about The King. He doesn't understand why The King won't come to Sunday dinner. My Dad tries to make excuses for him "He's watching the race." My Mom thinks he doesn't like our family and doesn't like her cooking. Mom's basically right. When anybody asks me why he's not around, I tell them to call him. But nobody will because they are all scared of him.

I wasn't going to write about any of this on my blog but I don't have anyone else to vent to. So I figured what the heck. King Isepik writes about everything that upsets him, including things that I do, so I guess I get to do the same thing. But I'll probably get lambasted for it, because that's pretty much what happens whenever I say how I'm feeling. Besides, at least this way The King will read it and he'll know the truth - because if I try to talk about it he doesn't listen. So really, what am I supposed to do anyway?

In other news, it's hot here. Yes, I'm aware that it's probably hotter where you are (except for you folks who are currently in Alaska), and that's ok. But here it is hot. According to my computer it was 103 today. The day before, 102. The day before that, 104. And the day before that 102. You get the idea.

Friday, July 14, 2006

Quick Thoughts

1. Gail had a good suggestion, sort-of. She suggested that I scoop up the fly on a piece of paper and taken him outside to meet his maker. That's a good idea, but probably would've needed to put him in something like a deep cup... he would've spun his way off the paper - no doubt! BTW, a few hours later he was still buzzing around and even flying a bit. I lost track of him after that. The one thing I know is that there is not a dead fly on my desk. Maybe it wasn't his time after all.

2. I know, I know, I've promised you pictures. I will get more pictures up here. But not today. I'm sorry!

3. The reason there won't be pictures today is because my friend Deana is getting married and I am one of her bridesmaids and I am rushing around here trying to get ready for tonight. Things like wrapping presents, finishing my dress, ensuring The King's clothes are ready to go, and packing along enough toys for the girls to keep themselves entertained at Grandma's. Not to mention brief 'training' sessions in my high heels - ugh. Not that they are that high... but I am definitely wobbly and certainly not graceful in them. Thankfully I only have to wear them for photographs and the reception -- there's no walking down the aisle or anything like that.

Tuesday, July 11, 2006

When Death Calls...

I'm sitting at my desk trying very hard to organize our bills. We have a pile of new ones, and I'm trying to make sure that all my ducks are in a row, so to speak.

So here I am, working hard, when all of a sudden I hear this incessant buzzing. A fly. But no, this isn't your typical 'come buzz in your ear and then fly away' fly. This is a 'I'm gonna die right here on your desk' fly.

It's true. I've tried to help him many, many times, but he simply prefers to lie on his back (wings) and wiggle his legs in the air, and then buzz really loudly while he rapidly spins around in a circle. Then he rests. Then he starts all over again. I've tried to turn him over - I wrongly thought that maybe he was stuck on his back like a turtle - but he doesn't want to turn over. When I actually get him over, he kinda limps (yes! flies can limp!), and then flips back over to his back and starts his 'moaning and groaning' again.

I've thought about killing him - just to end his misery - but I can't really bring myself to do it. So I guess the only thing to do is hope that he dies soon so that he can stop suffering. And so that I can get back to work.

Monday, July 10, 2006

Productivity?

I was productive today. I did some dusting, put fresh sheets on all the beds, paid several bills and established a budget. Honestly, it doesn't sound like much, but I have done very little over the last couple of weeks, so this is a big deal.

King Isepik cooked dinner because my plans fell through. He made a very lovely marinade for some very disgusting chicken which I bought at Smith's (Kroger Brand). I will never buy their chicken again. BLAH! It has a guarantee, I simply need to return it and I am going to. We'll see if they actually refund my money.

Sunday, July 09, 2006

It's Time For Bed...

I used to read a book called "It's Time For Bed" by Mem Fox to the girls (Gail is very familiar with this book!). It's a sweet rhyming story about 'parent' animals putting their 'baby' animals to bed. "It's time for bed little goose, little goose, the stars are out and on the loose."

Anyway, it's cute. And the only reason I am writing about it is because I'm tired and the "it's time for bed" thought keeps running through my mind.

So I will share one little story with you, and then I am going to go to bed. OK? OK.

We had dinner at my Mom's house tonight. After dinner we were all sitting around doing nothing, and some of us started reading the paper. The Purple Dragon decided that she would read the paper too, and was soon occupied with the crossword puzzle. I know what you're thinking, she's too young for crossword puzzles. You're right. But what caught her attention was all the numbers that tell you where to put the words. So she was counting... (pay close attention, here!)... "1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 16, 30, 19, 23, 16, 30..." I open my big mouth and say, "31, Dragon..." and she looks up at me, and says, "No, I can do it!" and starts all over. This time she gets up to about 21 when she throws her hands over her head and yells "These numbers are making me crazy!"

Thursday, July 06, 2006

Frustrating!

I am having a really hard time getting motivated to do anything lately.

I know I've been struggling with depression on and off for several years, so I'm sure that's my problem again. Many of you might question why I haven't been to the doctor. The answer is fairly simple, we haven't had insurance.

So, I probably should double-check to make sre that depression isn't on the list of pre-existing conditions for me, and then I should make an appointment to see a doctor.

I wasn't thrilled with my follow-up care the last time I was on anti-depressants (Zoloft), so I quit taking the meds earlier than I should have. Bad girl. So this time I will need to be more careful and follow the doctor's orders, but make sure that there is follow-up care. I don't mind taking medication when you need help -- but I don't like being left alone to figure out whether or not it's working. King Isepik said it definitely helped (and I believe him), but I didn't necessarily feel better. Supposedly that effect takes more time to notice.

Anyway, I promised The King that I would go to the bank today, so I am going to go get the girls ready and try to make it out the door in the next 20 minutes or so.

Tuesday, July 04, 2006

Happy Independence Day!

Today is the 4th of July! Happy Birthday, America!

My gripe today is to all of you unpatriotic folk who no longer hang up flags on the 4th of July or other holidays. Honestly, I can't gripe too much because I didn't have a flag until this week. I've wanted a flag for years -- missed having a flag -- and so I splurged and bought one so that we could fully participate in this holiday. It's a small thing, but oh how I love watching it wave in the breeze. It was worth the expense, and if you don't have a flag, I urge you to consider getting one. I remember when most houses in my childhood neighborhood were flying flags on the 4th of July - it was a beautiful sight to see. Nowadays, only one or two houses have flags. It's sad.

We had a BBQ at my Mom's house tonight. It was raining (sort-of), so most of us ended up eating inside, but we BBQ'd anyway. Hotdogs, hamburgers, baked beans, corn on the cob, chips & dip, potato salad, all kinds of good food. I was in charge of dessert, so Angel Food Cake with fresh strawberries and blueberries (in King Isepik's special sauce), and strawberry "cuppy-cakes" decorated like fireworks. Mostly white frosting with blue streaks, and red and clear/white sprinkles. It was very delicious.

After dinner, I gave the kids some of those popper/snapper things that you throw on the ground to make them pop. The Pink Princess really liked them, The Purple Dragon - not so much. We also did "snakes" and the girls had a lot of fun with those.

My Mom asked me to make a game, so I brought "Pin the Star on the Flag." Everyone played, and it was pretty amusing. Grandpa (my Dad) came the closest, while Christian (my cousin's husband) was definitely the farthest. If we hadn't stopped him by sticking a board in front of his hand, he would've ended up somewhere in the garden. Dad won a flag, and we gave Christian his very own box of sparklers. WOOHOO! The Princess was sad that she didn't win. The Dragon could've cared less.

At about 9:00 we packed up the kids and went to see fireworks. I love fireworks. We let the girls entertain themselves with some sparklers before the show started. They LOVED that. The Purple Dragon was a little nervous at first, but after the first one she did it all by herself. I know she was afraid that they were going to be loud - but once she realized they weren't, she was fine.

The fireworks were not the best ever, but hey, they're fireworks! There are no bad fireworks (unless maybe they are all defective), so we still enjoyed the show. The finale was a definite let down though. I love the finales where they keep going and going and going... this one set off maybe 10 or 15 all at once, and that was it. It looked cool, but... blah.

The Purple Dragon enjoyed these fireworks much better than the ones we saw on July 3rd. She had ear plugs this time, plus we were further away so they weren't as loud and they didn't appear to be falling on top of you. The Pink Princess liked them too, but she said the ones on the 3rd were better.

Sunday, July 02, 2006

Roll Call!

Wow. Enlightenment can be shocking at times.

I got a comment from my good friend Gail today. I was under the impression that she wasn't reading my blog because I never ever got any comments from her. And that was OK, though I wondered why I never heard ANYTHING. And then she commented! And her comment led to enlightenment.

Somehow, somewhere, I had managed to change a setting so that you could only leave a comment if you were a Blogger member. Oops. That was not what was supposed to be happening.

This leads me to wondering how many of my friends are reading my blog.

I've supposedly changed it so that you can leave a comment. Simply click on "Other" and type in your name (first name is sufficient). It will also give you an option for a web page, but many of you may not have one, so don't worry about that part! You COULD also choose to use the "Anonymous" option, but that wouldn't be much fun because I wouldn't know which of you is harassing me!

So please, I beg of you, if you are reading my blog, do me the favor and leave me a comment in response to this post. And I apologize for unwittingly blocking you from participating fully in my life!

Saturday, July 01, 2006

Very Important Announcement

Good news, everyone!

The knives have been found! So has the vegetable peeler.

And, if that wasn't enough excitement for you, I was also thrilled to find my handy-dandy can strainer. I don't know what it's called, but it's just the right size to fit inside a can, and by adding some pressure to hold it in place and turning it upside down it does a fantastic job of draining the liquid out of just about anything -- especially tuna. Joy!

As a side note, they were disovered in a box labeled "junk drawer." Junk? I think not!